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Topic: Encounter (Read 2313 times)

The buzz of the Seattle rush hour set almost anyone on edge, except for a few people, one of those people worked, well he worked part of the time, in a small office downtown the eastside of I-5 highway. A small board sign read KnightÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s Private Investigators in small bland black writing. Inside the wood paneled door laid a front desk and a few empty chairs with a door in the back. The back held a tiny office and a small adjacent room that was carpeted and had a plush old 60ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s style leather sofa, and a large 40ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? TV and a XBOX. John played away on Halo, the day had been slow no one had called in and there hadnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t been any walk ins in the last two days.

John aimed carefully and sniped two players that were squaring off with then his screen flashed and in slow motion it showed his avatar getting run over by a warthog. Cursing John threw the controller on the sofa and logged off, and turned the machine off. John stalked back into his cramped office, and snatched up the phone as it rang, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHello, Knight Private Investigation your talking to John what can I do for you?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? He listened for a bit then wrote some stuff down, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œRobbery eh, heirlooms? Ok IÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll be there in a while traffic is pretty bad right now so donÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t expect me to get there fast.ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? John hung the phone up and stuffed the notes he wrote in his jean pocket, he check his Colt .45 semi-automatic for ammo then put it in his shoulder holster and slit one extra clip into his coat pocket.

The drive took about an hour and a half to the south center area and another fifteen minutes driving through the local streets to find the place. John parked the ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢00 model Jeep Grand Cherokee in front of the run down house a short three foot chain link gate surrounded the small yard and beat up house, the front gate was missing but broken hinges showed one was once there. John walked on the dirt path up the porch each step he took up the stair creaked badly. The door was ajar and John thought he smelledÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦ blood?

John shivered night had fallen more than an half ago and almost no light shone inside, and he had forgotten his MagLight. John pulled out his .45 and eased slowly into inside careful of not making the door creak too much. John looked around in the darkness and heard a sucking noise, like some one drinking out of a straw. The light switch was on the far side of the war and the noises were coming from the kitchen just past the light switch. He crept to the far side and flicked on the lights, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHello?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? In the corner a young man crouched over an old woman, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHey buddy you ok?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬?

A demonic faced looked up at him and John shouted in surprise itÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s eyes were pale yellow it face was pulled back so winkles formed all over and it had two fangs that pointed down and were inch long almost it bent over the old lady he had talked to on the phone. Blood covered it mouth and the old lady was covered in blood around her neck.

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHoly s**t!ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? John didnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t even realize he pulled the trigger he emptied three rounds in the thingÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s chest before he knew. It dropped down, then stood back up, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHey mate watch where you point that!ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? It said.

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œHoney what is it?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? A young blond girl with the same facial characteristics as the thing.

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œGod what are you?ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? John thought out loud.

ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œVampires what else,ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬? With that the man vampire lunged at him John emptied the clip into itÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s face it fell down. Shooting it in the head seemed to work but the female screamed and lunged at him. John fumbled with his gun but the thing was too fast, John refilled his gun snapped off a shot that caught the vampire in the shoulder that spun it crashing to the floor. John ran for the car he fumbled with his keys then got in and drove like a mad man, suddenly two seconds later the same female vampire landed on his hood and punched through the windshield at him but missed. John stopped but the thing held on and wasnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t flipped off. She punched again and barely missed his head, but her arm got stuck on the glass. John hopped at the side fired a shot at the vampire that hit it in the neck and ranÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â¦

John ran like he had when he was a sprinter in high school, in this part of the neighborhood he didn't where he was going. At the mouth of an alley he ducked down, he came out onto a busy street full of store fronts. A bar waited invitingly across the street, the traffic was slow he got across without any trouble. He pushed the black door open and felt his neck tingle but nothing more, John gazed around, a various set of different folk were in the bar. Not just weird different, one man sported blue skin and a large rhino like horn. There were many other things in the room he couldn't begin to describe some he woudn't even label human. He walked over to the bar rubbing his eyes. He didn't even notice the pale woman with scaly wings next to him.

John nodded to the grey skined bar tender with red glowing eyes, "Give me what is on the tab." A shot of a thicl red liquid appeared infront of them, John almost knocked it back when he looked closely at it. It was blood...

"Here," He gave it to the winged woman next to him who knocked it back then looked at the bartender again, "Bourbon." The bartender laughed but gave him the glass of poten alcohol. John knocked it back it brought warmth to his cheeks. Someone laid a hand on his shoulder, "You had better come with me." A femine voice said to them and the other hand turned his head to the a couple of normal looking guys that looked ready to make a feast of him but kept their distance of the robed woman next to him.

John let her gide him to a small side table, John looked under her hood but his eyes went fuzzy and he couldn't see anything till he shifted his gaze. "Umm what can I do for you?" He asked hesistantly.

"Every generation has a champion. Even today there are ones." John looked puzzled but she just held up her hand and he kept quiet, she leaned closer and whispered, "The champion was a protector, a hero or heroine, a person that the powers above could have faith in."

John looked at her again but his eyes kept fuzzing when he looked at her features, he looked down and whispered back, "What are you talking about?"

"Look I haven't got time to explain everything, but you saw yourself this evening that things in the world are not as they seem. The last Champion has died in battle and yuo were selected to pick up his sword. You can't avoid this and should accept it as a gift. I have to go now, but now that you are the Champion there are certain things you can do now that couldn't have done as a regular man, it would be best not to test these in a very public place unless you have too." With that John felt himself slowly fading, he felt tired and sleepy.

John rolled over he felt the sun in his eyes and sat up out of bed. Only a dream he reassured himself, then he looked at the side table his gun laid there. He couldn't resist the temptation, he grabbed it ejected the magazine and looked. It was empty...

I(John) always kept the trusty fortyfive caliber pistol loaded just incase any unhappy customers from jobs he'd done for people came back to visit him. I had sent more than his share of criminals to jail, if there was one thing that I was meticulous about were my guns and my safety. How safe I was, was based on the number of bullets in the clip. The chills going down my spine had nothing to do with the open window.

I rolled out of bed and started washing up in the small dingy bathroom I had, I looked into the mirror and gasped. My face and neck were splattered dried blood, I looked down at my arms and realized they took were spattered with dried blood flecks. Then and there I realized that what I had drempt last night was reality. It struck me like a thunderbolt. I scrubed the dried blood off with scorching water and some course soap till all traces of the old blood were scouraged from my skin.

Another forty-five minutes later I got to work by riding a series of buses, the number 1 from Kinnere the area I lived in to Pike Street down by the water, near the Pike Place Market. I caught the number 12 bus that ran north and south. To get from 1st Ave, to 8th Ave. which didn't really seem really far only eight blocks but this is Seattle. First hill ran from the water's edge up past 12th Ave. It was steep and a real &^%$@ to clime up, so I caught the bus. I walked into the small office later than usual the gothic chick I hired to do the paper work looked up and gave me emotionless look, "You've got a message, from a woman named Fiona Range, she called this mornning around six she urged that you call her back quickly here's her number. Oh yeah it would be cheaper for you to get two cell phones than keep with two phone lines you have."

"Ok Claire, you take care of getting those phones replaced then, I'm going to call this Fiona Range back." I went into the back and shut the door...